1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to peripheral intravenous (IV) catheters.
2. Related Art
Certain patients require a relatively large amount of fluid to be injected into a vein over a short period of time, and thus require a large bore IV catheter (such as 18 gauge). Examples include surgical patients, septic patients, hemorrhaging patients, trauma patients, dehydrated patients, and those patients needing IV contrast for procedures. For example, CT scans can require that 80 cc bolus of contrast be delivered at a rate of 5 cc/sec through an 18 gauge IV catheter between the patients elbow and wrist. The use of a smaller IV catheter, such as less than 20 gauge, causes the IV tubing to split because the pressure is too high at the connection between the tubing and the IV catheter. A failed CT scan such as this results in wasted time, expense, and excessive radiation exposure to the patient. Some patients, however, have small and/or fragile veins, into which only a small bore IV (such as 22-27 gauge) can be inserted. An inordinate amount of time can be spent trying to insert a large catheter into the small or fragile vein, and often this large catheter damages the vein yielding a failed IV attempt. Multiple IV insertion attempts are painful to the patient, time consuming and frustrating for the technician, and expensive for the facility.